Are you tired of feeling down about your weight? Or perhaps your parents/peers are bugging you about your double chin? Lose weight, read this article and take the advice into consideration. It may be harder to lose weight as a teen because of all the goodies you see in the lunch room, or when you see your friends eating pizza. It is going to be hard, that's for sure, but if you are really determined and motivated, then you can do it! Follow these simple steps and you will be there in no time at all! But remember, don't overdo it because that is unhealthy! Be strong, not weak! Do it and don't give up!

Steps

Method1

Pre-Weight Loss

1

Make a Goal! Start with something simple, don't start off with a ridiculous goal that you'll never achieve, as you'll just feel bad when you don't get there.

2

Make a plan. Find some spare time after school or at sports practice, and add an exercise routine to fill the gaps.

3

Start your diet tomorrow when you wake up. Fresh starts often help once you only have one fresh start! The night before, prepare yourself. Plan out the next few weeks or months.

Method2

Healthy Eating

1

Consume healthy foods and do not skip meals. Eat five small meals each day, every 3-4 hours. Your blood sugar level will be steady, and you will not feel as hungry.

2

Do light exercise before breakfast, even if it is only stretching. Do not push your body too far until a couple hours after breakfast. Your body most likely will have very low energy stores, and this will result a loss in muscle before your body uses fat. You need fuel in order to burn fat, otherwise you're just using muscle as energy. Do "not" skip breakfast. It gets your body and metabolism moving and stops cravings later on. So even if it's just a banana and a cup of tea, it will do so much more than if you had nothing to eat.

3

Avoid buying food in the school cafeteria or shop. Bring a packed lunch and no money for food. That way, cravings are resisted. In your lunch, you should have sandwiches, two pieces of fruit and water. No sweets or fatty food.

4

Eat at the table, not standing up. Have one specific place where you will eat all your meals (unless you are out with friends). This keeps you from eating food mindlessly in front of the TV. Take time to chew, count to 30 for each bite. Chewing more can help you lose weight. You will find that you will get full faster, and will not have to eat as much.

Remember that it takes at least 20 minutes to actually notice that you're full or not hungry anymore. Try not to overeat, when you feel satisfied stop eating and don't let yourself eat anymore if you're not finished.

5

Don't eat from 9pm to 6am. This will keep your body on a schedule. Because your metabolism isn't high at night (especially when you are sleeping), it also means your body won't be eating food when it can least digest it.

6

When you snack, choose healthy fruits and vegetables rather than candy or chips. If you really hate veggies, have some hummus or peanut butter with it, or instead, opt for a handful of unsalted nuts. Greek yogurt helps boost up your metabolism and tastes great (plain with honey and berries is an excellent choice). Popcorn, minus added salt or butter, are excellent munchies. They are full of fiber.

7

Before you go to a restaurant, look at what there is on the menu online if you can, and choose what you want there (sometimes they even show you the nutritional information). Not only does this mean that you can choose something healthier, it also means that you aren't likely to give in to cravings and choose something you just can't eat.

8

Ask for smaller portions at meal times. It's easier than trying not to eat everything you get because it's an automatic habit to finish your meals.Try eating on a smaller plate, too. It tricks your brain into thinking you've eaten more than you really have.

9

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You do not have to drink them down all at once, but keep sipping all day. Do whatever is comfortable and convenient for you, as long as you drink that amount of water. This will help you feel more full.

Other than water, almost anything you drink will contain calories. Learn to love the taste of water, and take in more fluids daily to improve your health and digestion. Fruit and vegetable juices, which are deprived of their fibers, are inferior to eating the fruits and vegetables themselves, so try to avoid juices. Unless you are making your own juice at home with a juicer, this is a great way to get tons of nutrients and adds in weight loss. It has also been proven that drinking three liters of water a day inhibits the loosening of skin, resulting in the formation of less wrinkles.

Method3

Exercise

1

Walk as much as you can. The average person burns about six calories per minute walking. Try to walk at least one mile a day to start. Each day walk a little further. Walk at a brisk pace, and if you find you are getting out of breath then slow down. In the beginning it is more important that you at least walk, rather than walk fast.

Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

Walking just 15 minutes a day increases life expectancy by three years, studies[1] say.

Dance by yourself to the music on the television or your MP3 player. Any movements will make you lose weight, so have fun and dance your way to a thinner you!

2

Exercise. It doesn't matter if you lift weights, walk around your neighborhood, swim, or jog on a treadmill, you will lose weight, as long as you exercise 3-4 days a week, and burn more than your calorie intake. If you don't have a treadmill, find a pool, walk into waist deep water, and run in place, this burns just as many calories as running on a treadmill.

Method4

Other

1

Weigh yourself every week on a certain day in the morning before you eat and after you go to the bathroom. This will show you've lost weight rather than weighing every day. If you are still growing, then your weight should not change at all. You will think that you have gained weight in fat but you really just have grown a bit or gained muscle. Measure around your waist instead. That way you see if you have lost fat.

Weighing yourself daily can lead to what some people call "scale obsession," or an unhealthy fixation on daily results. Water retention in the body can be as much as five pounds per day, so the scale can also be somewhat misleading.

Remember to think of weight loss as an ongoing process. Your hard work and determination will pay off, however, so long as you keep your spirits high and your outlook optimistic. Very few people are completely satisfied with their bodies, but try to love your body as much as possible. It will definitely love you back.

2

Record your progress. This way you can notice any major changes. Keep a log of everything you eat, every exercise you do, and how many inches your waist is (or whatever kind of body part that needs weight loss). Add up your total calorie intake of that day (try to keep it at a maximum of 2000) and how many calories you burned (most exercise machines will give you an estimate of how many calories you burned). If your diet or exercise changed you can see what plan worked best for you.

Also, if you record the calories you have eaten, you can input them in websites that will then calculate whether you should have eaten more, or fewer calories that day, and you can plan from that.

Download an app. There are some great apps that are free to download that can help you track your progress, such as MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness. Check out your apps store and see what's on offer to help you.

3

Be confident. If you are confident about losing weight you will be more likely to have some great progress! It actually works!

4

Don't be too hard on yourself! If you spend a day in your pajamas and watch a few movies for the day, don't sweat it. If you have a big feed of junk food one day, don't worry! Just get back on track the next day!

Community Q&A

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Tips

When exercising, think how you'll look after you lose some weight, it boosts your wanting to exercise.

Don't give up! We know it's so hard to suddenly start eating healthy and exercising every day! and actually stick with it. You want to give up and go back to your old ways because you feel like you're not losing any weight at all...but don't! If you gain the will, power, and determination it takes to lose weight, it will be the best decision of your life! Every time you're a step away from giving up, just picture in your mind how good you will look and feel if you just keep going. Prove to all who doubted you can do this that you can have a sexy body!

Listen to music while exercising. Try doing a different exercise with every changing song.(rhythmic exercising)

Don't stress if you don't lose any weight in the first week. Stress causes you to gain weight. Stay positive to lose weight faster.

Start off with a small amount of weight to lose (3 to 9 pounds). When you see that 3 to 9 pounds get off, you'll feel great and feel like any amount of weight that you lose is a revelation.

If you get hungry between meals, have a healthy snack. It will keep your blood sugar up and keep you from overeating the next meal.

Don't skip meals! You might think that skipping meals will help you lose weight, but the truth is, it does just the opposite. If you skip a meal, you're more likely to get the munchies and scoff down the junk food that is full of fat and sugar.

Lay in bed flat with a pillow and just lift your legs to your stomach about 25 times a day.

Rather than sitting, stand. Standing burns calories, too.

Try to brush your teeth after every meal & snack. Everything seems less fascinating with toothpaste in your mouth.

If you feel like you are alone know that there are always people going through the same things.

Try doing sit ups, crunches or leg lifts.

If you need a sweet try a Popsicle. It has between 5-10 calories and it helps cravings.

Teens need to get about 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. It has been shown that they get at times only 6 hours of sleep.

Stick with the green foods. Green foods are full of iron such as peas, spinach or broccoli!

Go for a jog. Stretch to warm up, then get a few friends together and start a 'jogging group'. It's much more fun with friends, and listening to music can take your mind off what you're actually doing if you don't like running.

Jog if you don't feel comfortable running.

Doing yoga stretches your muscles, giving you long, lean muscles.

Try drinking tea or vegetable juice before every meal. You will feel more full before you start eating.

It can take up to two months to notice a huge change in body weight for teens.

If you exercise you will feel more confident In your body even if you are still the same weight.

Celery is a great weight loss snack. It has been proven that it takes more calories to eat the celery than the amount of calories in the celery its self. So you can lose weight by eating! It's never good to stuff yourself with any certain food, though, so eat it wisely.

Occasional indulgences are acceptable. For example, if mom made her famous cherry pie for Christmas, take a small piece. Better yet, don't eat the crust. You get the taste, minus a few calories.

Take up a sport that you'll enjoy, you'll really notice the difference.

It is also important to keep in mind your body type; don't expect to look like a model if everyone in your family is stocky, or not so muscular.

Drinking green tea boosts your metabolism.

Dress in slimming outfits, it will make you look thinner and you will feel better about yourself!

Journal your food intake that has been shown to help you lose the pounds as well. Reason once you realize how much you're putting in your body you will realize what you have been eating without noticing yourself.

Talk to people about why you want to lose weight. Most people have excellent ideas on how to do it.

Some people find it easier to "diet" with a friend or even your mom!

Always read safety instructions before using electric equipment. It's not healthy/pretty to have a red wound all up your arm (treadmill burn).

Make sure that you have a realistic weight goal. (10 pounds a month is not realistic.)

Visiting a gym can be a fun way to exercise.

Think about joining Weight Watchers. They have teen programs that are very effective. Attend the weekly meetings to be with people like you who also want to lose weight. But don't forget to ask for parent permission first.

Once again, don't stress about the scale. For example, if you're a 5 feet (1.5 m) 12 year old girl, you should be at 110 pounds, but there are other factors. For example, you might have a family trait that makes the women in your family more muscular. That means you probably need to be around 125 or 135 pounds(56 to 61 kg). Ask your doctor because they know your family records and will help find a weight healthy for you.

The scale can lie to you. That's why there is this thing called NSV- non-scale victory. You can gain 4 pounds yet lose 4 inches (10.2 cm), or drop in pant sizes. So don't cry if you didn't lose any weight after a week of hard work!

Use smaller, darker plates to make you feel fuller.

Doing the butterfly stretch can help your thighs get skinnier and not gain muscle

Peppermints have calories, so use wisely if you're controlling your caloric intake.

If you ever feel like you have over eaten, don't stress yourself out. You can always burn it off just as you do when you eat other foods.

Don't stop eating it doesn't help. Skipping meals does loose calories but later you will eat more.

Don't give up. It's difficult to lose weight. Don't constantly weigh yourself or you will become upset with how your scale numbers don't go down every day. try to eat healthy foods even if it is an occasional treat every once in a while. All that matters is that you try your hardest.

Aim to be healthy, not skinny. That way you will lose weight and stay healthy.

Do 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Exercise after school is a great way to help you lose excess weight.

Sit up straight. It makes your core work harder and it burns calories.

You can start a exercising club with friends and have fun with then while exercising or jogging/walking(etc). It will encourage you and help start habits.

Drink water before meals it will make you less hungry so you'll eat less.

Warnings

Try not to become obsessed with a certain number. The mirror and your own feelings are a better indicator of your success.

Never try to starve yourself. Doing so, will put your metabolism into "starvation mode" which will slow down metabolism and slow down weight loss. However, if you decide to fast (a controlled period of time where you only drink water or juices to cleanse your body or aid weight loss), daily exercise will keep your metabolism from slowing down, which would cause rapid weight gain when you start to eat solids.

Being obsessed with losing weight can lead to eating disorders.

Don't do cardio and strength training on same day. It can cause severe cramps.

If you are dieting correctly, you should lose 1 or 2 pounds a week. That's 5-10 pounds a month! If you lose more than 3 pounds a week, you could be losing weight too fast, which is unhealthy. Depending on your weight and amount of weight loss needed, however, it might not be unhealthy. Keep in mind that if you lose weight too fast, you might experience hair loss. Always talk to your doctor if you are worried.

Watch and check nutrition labels. Just because they say something is low in fat on the front doesn't mean it's good for you.

If you find that you are not losing weight after a few weeks, you may want to see a nutritionist.

Tests have proven that if you get on a scale too much you actually gain more weight, so it's better to base it on something like how you feel in your favorite jeans or what your family notices.